


Juno Steel And His Shitty Lungs

by Unused_dishes



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, Vespa secretly cares, idk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25094947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unused_dishes/pseuds/Unused_dishes
Summary: Juno was still getting used to taking care of himself. After years of only doing the bare minimum to stay alive, and sometimes not even that, it took some time, and a whole lot of effort. But everyday it got a little easier. And everyday it got easier to let the rest of the crew help him.But he still sometimes forgot things.A.K.A Juno has asthma
Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel, Rita & Juno Steel
Comments: 10
Kudos: 190





	Juno Steel And His Shitty Lungs

Juno was still getting used to taking care of himself. After years of only doing the bare minimum to stay alive, and sometimes not even that, it took some time, and a whole lot of effort. But everyday it got a little easier. And everyday it got easier to let the rest of the crew help him.

But he still sometimes forgot things. 

“Juno Steel, what the HELL were you thinking?” He winced at Vespa’s voice through the comms. 

“Hey-” He had to cut off to gasp for a breath. “I did- didn't th- think it would-”

“Just shut up,” Vespa muttered. “Peter’s on his way to get you. I swear, Steel, Once I get your lungs back in order, you’re dead,”

“Tha-that's comforting,” His sarcasm would have been more effective if he had the air to get it out all at once.

Juno leaned against the back wall of the closet he was hiding in. He felt lightheaded, panicky, as though he were drowning. His asthma hadn’t acted up since he was in the HCPD, so when he ran out of his medicine, he hadn't even really thought about it. He couldn't afford to get more out on Neptune, where they were now, but he’d planned to get some as soon as they reached the solar planets, where medicine was enough cheaper. But it seemed his shitty lungs had other ideas. Good thing they’d finished the mission before he’d started to have problems.

Peter flung open the closet door seconds later. “Juno! You can walk?” He was already grabbing Juno’s arm. “I can’t carry you while running,”

“ ‘m fine, Ra- Ransom,”

“Sure,”

Juno rolled his eye, but he still leant into Nureyev as they snuck through the long corridors of the Plutonian embassy. It was hard going, what with Juno having to stop every few feet to get a breath. But they were quiet enough to escape undetected. Or at least, until they were halfway through the silent lobby, and the security alarms suddenly went off.

“Shit,”

Juno could hear guards running up the hall behind them, feet thundering. “Rans-som, we ha- have to run,”

“You’re in no shape for that, Juno dear,”

“Doesn’t matter. We h-have to try,”

Nureyev looked like he was going to protest, but the doors behind them flung open, and a swarm of guards started to run through.

“Alright Juno, lets go,”

They actually made it out pretty fast. Fast enough, at least, that they were out of the building and into the alley where they were meeting Jet before the guards even left the lobby.

The guards stormed right past the alley, and Juno felt more than heard Peters sigh of relief. 

“Well, at least we don't have to worry about intelligent enemies, hey Juno- Juno?” 

Juno had fully slumped against Peter as he was talking, breathing fast and shallow. He couldn’t- couldn’t get a breath, couldn’t get enough air to even say that he couldn’t breathe-

“Juno, sit down, there, just like that,” 

“C- Ca- Can’t,”

“Sh, I know, I know dear,” Peter reached into one of his many deep pockets and pulled out his comms. “Where the hell are you Jet?”

“I am coming up to the alley right now,” 

Juno closed his eyes, but heard the sound of the Ruby7 pulling up beside him. He felt Peter lifting him, helping him get into the car. After half a second, he felt Peter climbing in from the other side and gently maneuvering them both so that Juno could lie across most of the back seat, with Nureyev squished into a corner.

“How fast can you get us back to the ship?” Peter asked, chest rumbling against Junos back. 

“I am not sure you would survive the speed,”

“Alright, Maybe the second fastest?”

Jet hummed in ascent, and they took off, far faster than was strictly legal.

As they flew, Juno hoped it might get a little easier to breathe. But it wasn’t letting up. And much as he hated it, he was starting to panic a bit, feeling so light headed and out of it and-

“Its ok Juno, your ok, I know it probably hurts but your ok,”

Nureyev’s words didn’t ease his breathing, but they did take the edge off the gnawing panic deep in his gut. 

In the front seat, Jet pulled out his comms and called the ship. “Vespa, do you have something for asthma on the ship,”

Vespa’s voice came through fuzzy over the comms. “I don't know, because Steel is an idiot, and neglected to tell me that he even has asthma,”

“Ev-ever-every-” Juno stopped. He couldn’t even get one word out without feeling like he was going to pass out.

“Make him sit up a bit, and I’ll see if I can do something about it when you get back,”

With that, she cut the connection.

Nureyev grabbed Juno gently by the shoulders, and pulled him up so he was sitting reclined against his chest. Junos breathing cleared a bit, but it still wasn’t good. His ribs and back ached every time he tried to take a gasping breath

“Sorry- s- sorry gu- guys-s,”

“Juno, stop, you're going to pass out if you keep wasting your breath,” Peter leaned in closer toward his ear. “And either way, you have nothing to apologize for,”

Juno began to relax as Peter gently ran a hand through his hair. “You need to calm down, I promise it’ll help, just try to take a breath, Juno dear,”

Vespa was waiting inside for them the second they stepped out of the Ruby7. She ordered Peter to carry Juno to the infirmary, and marched off, presumably to find Juno some medicine.

“I- can w-wa-alk,” Juno said, as Peter scooped him up into his arms.

“I’m sure you’ve walked with worse, but forgive me for thinking Vespa would happily kill me if she found out I let you,”

“Mhm,” Juno turned his face into Peter’s chest. “She-e wou-ould,”

Peter set Juno down on one of the stiff cots, and sat beside him in a chair. It was only seconds later that Vespa came in with a steaming mug, Rita trailing quickly behind her.

“Mistah Steel! I told you to get more! I told you! You're lucky I brought a backup inhaler all the way from Hyperion!” Rita continued to chatter as she brought the small plastic inhaler over to Juno and pressed it into his hand. “There you go, next time you’d better bring it with you!”

He took a deep breath of the medication, and relaxed almost instantly. “Thanks Rita, I dunno what I’d do without you,” 

Rita smiled proudly at that, and took a seat beside Peter.

Vespa stepped forward, handing Juno the mug. “It's Venusian coffee. Strongest in the galaxy. You’d better drink the whole thing,”

“Won’t complain about a coffee prescription,” Juno said, and then had to pause to catch his breath again. 

Vespa rolled her eyes and left the room, only to come back seconds later with a few more pillows to prop him up on.

“You’re staying here tonight,” She said, piling them up behind Juno. “And you sure as hell aren’t going on any missions until I can get you some consistent medicine. I have a contact on Earth, we’ll head there and I can get it cheap,”

She turned to leave, then looked back and glared at Peter and Rita. “Don’t let him get up until his breathing is under control,”

As soon as she was gone, Rita got up and started pacing around the infirmary. “Ya know, boss, this is just like that time in Mermaid Guardians Of Jupiter, when the main character gets poisoned! And the only thing that can cure them is a kind of tea from earth, and so they have to get all the way-”

She continued on like that, and Juno… almost found her endless chatter comforting. 

For a little while.

“Rita?” he interrupted.

“Yeah boss?”

“Do you wanna bring your comms over, and we can all watch a stream?”

“Yeah! Sure thing mistah Steel, I have just the one for tonight, it's called Jewel Thieves at Midnight and it's about a bunch of werewolves and there's a heist and- Oh! I’ll make us all hot chocolate too! But you have to finish your coffee first boss, ok? Ok! I’ll be right back!”

Nureyev smiled as she left. “She really is endearing, isn’t she Juno?”

“Yeah yeah,” Juno took another, final sip of his now only a little too hot coffee. He set the mug down on the small table beside the bed, and reached out to grab Nureyev's hand. “God, I’m tired,”

“I’m sure you are,” 

“Hey, Nureyev?”

“Yes, Juno?”

“Thanks for getting me out,”

“Always.” Peter shifted a little to better reach him. His hand came up to gently card through his hair, and Juno closed his eyes peacefully. “What can I do to help you?”

“ ‘m tired. And my back hurts. Just let me take a nap,”

“You promised Rita you’d watch that stream,”

“Never promised her anything,”

“Well…”

“Yeah, ok, I’ll stay awake long enough to watch her stream. But I might fall asleep halfway through,”

“And we might draw things on your face if that happens,”

“Hey!” 

Rita came bustling back in a moment later, distributing hot chocolate and setting her comms up so they could all see. 

Juno only made it through about half the stream before he was asleep on Nureyev’s shoulder. They didn’t draw on his face, but Rita definitely took a few pictures before leaving that night.


End file.
